Oranjestad, – On Saturday, July 11th 2009, the Aviation Pioneers of the Caribbean Foundation elected a new Board. Terrance Rey was elected as the new president, taking over from Elizabeth (Elly) Delien, founder of the Foundation and partner of Winair’s legendary pilot, the late José Dormoy, affectionately known as “Pipe.” Rey is managing director of AirStMaarten, a company specializing in private charters throughout the Caribbean.
Walter Hellebrand, historian and communications professional, was newly elected to the board and will take on the role of secretary. Elly Delien stays on as member of the board in the capacity of treasurer and the Board’s former secretary Nyna Burright, a shipping coordinator working for St. Eustatius Port Services, was also reelected. She will act as substitute secretary.
The Foundation was established on February, 12th 2008 by Elly Delien to preserve and promote the history of aviation in the Caribbean - in particular in the Windward Islands – and to pay tribute to the pioneers who opened up the islands to the outside world and thereby played an important role in their development. Some of the ways by which the Foundation tries to achieve its purpose include research and exposure of the history of aviation as well as projects to create more interest in the aviation history of each individual island.
When José Dormoy passed away in 2007, Elly Delien was left with a virtual treasure chest of documents, information and images relating to the early days of aviation in the Windward Islands, an eventful past in which her partner of many years played a very active role. She thought “Pipe’s” personal archive would make a valuable beginning of a collection of information about the history of aviation in the islands that was worth sharing with everybody. She therefore decided to start the Aviation Pioneers of the Caribbean Foundation.
Projects
In its first year, the Foundation’s sizable archive was inventoried and organized. Also, displays commemorating the aviation pioneers were arranged for Saba’s airport and Winair’s sales office in St. Maarten. The Foundation has a number of projects underway
set to launch in August and November of this year and, with the new team on the Board, expects to initiate several more to highlight the pilots who opened up the sky for the northeastern Caribbean islands.
Acknowledgments
Elly Delien expressed her thanks to all the former board members for their assistance with the establishment of the Aviation Pioneers of the Caribbean Foundation and especially acknowledged the support of Claudie Banare; film maker Pierre Brouwers, Jerry Casius; Leontien Durby; Michael Ferrier; Faustin, Denise and Robert Ledée; Michel Martinon; AirStMaarten, Mazinga Giftshop and Xerox.
The Board would like to encourage everyone with stories, material or images relating to the history of aviation in the northeastern Caribbean to contact the Foundation so that scans or copies can be made in order to increase the knowledge of its fascinating development.